Ford‘s South Korean-based battery supplier SK On has called the F-150 Lightning‘s mystery battery issue that caused a vehicle fire and halted production early last month a “rare” occurrence and not a design flaw.
As reported by Bloomberg, SK On has apparently found a fix for the issue after weeks of investigations with the Blue Oval.
“We believe this was a rare occurrence, not a fundamental issue with the technology of the battery cells or our overall manufacturing systems,” said SK On in a statement to Bloomberg.
“Working with Ford, SK On identified the root cause of the issue and implemented measures of improvement in our processes to address the issue.”
The battery supplier has reportedly already started building batteries at its Georgia production facility, although F-150 Lightning production hasn’t restarted yet at Ford’s Michigan plant.
As previously reported, Ford stopped production production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup on February 6 after one of them caught fire in a holding lot.
Ford recently detailed a 2023 model year update to the F-150 Lightning range which brought a number of small changes, including more range, a Ford Pro Special Service Vehicle package, and higher US prices.
The Ford US website now says this 2023 model year is no longer available to order.
Demand for the F-150 Lightning has outstripped supply since the vehicle’s launch in 2021.
Ford was forced to close its order books in December 2021, before production had even started, and in 2022 announced plans to double its production output in an attempt to get cars to customers sooner.
The Blue Oval has now invested more than $US1 billion ($A1.44 billion) in Michigan for the F-150 Lightning alone, with 1700 jobs created across five Ford plants.
It’s unclear if the F-150 Lightning will be coming Down Under, but Ford Australia has previously said it’s bringing at least five electrified vehicles by 2024. It’s also bringing the petrol-powered F-150 to market in 2023.
Given the massive North American demand for the F-150 Lightning, don’t expect it to come here any time soon.
MORE: Mystery battery issue pauses Ford F-150 Lightning production
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